Struck
by messy-haired-marauder
Summary: James is plagued by a thunderstorm raging outside Gryffindor Tower. Lily tries to comfort him and fluff ensues. Fluffy Jily oneshot.


**A/N: I couldn't find the source of the cover image, but I assure you I do not have enough talent to draw that! **

The dormitory was still and dimly lit; James' light being the only one still on. He was attempting to read over the sleeping body of one Lily Evans. Her current position with her face buried in the crook of his neck, left arm and leg laying on top of his pyjama-clad body, resulted in it being very difficult to find a comfortable position to appreciate the novel. James pressed on however, as he was rather entranced in the story. That and the fact that he was dreading turning the lights out.

When he found that the lines were beginning to blur, and that he hadn't, in fact, taken in anything the author had said for the last page, he finally surrendered and placed the book on his bed side table.

He still didn't turn off the light though. Instead he looked at Lily, her breath expelling gently against his neck. James was rather afraid that he enjoyed watching her sleep just a bit too much, but she was so beautiful and peaceful that he could never quite bring himself to stop.

She had started sleeping in his bed just a few months after they had gotten together at the start of their seventh year. He was still greatly amused by how it all had started…

_They had passed out on a couch in the common room - school work, head duties and the constant worry caused by the war had taken their toll on the two teenagers. James' head rested on the back of the couch, and Lily was using his lap as a pillow. _

_Around three in the morning, a bunch of sixth years sneaking back into the common room made James sit up abruptly. He blinked blearily for a few seconds, still half trapped in the dream he had been having. Then he looked down at his watch and did a double take at the time. _

"_Lils?" he jiggled his one leg, only getting an annoyed moan from her. _

"_It's time to go to bed sweetheart," he said gently, when he had managed to extricate himself from beneath her. _

"_No," she mumbled, "too comfortable."_

"_Lily, come on, I have two hours of Quidditch practice and a Charms test tomorrow."_

_"I refuse to get up," she slurred, her eyes still firmly shut. _

_"Lilyyyyyy," he bent down and insistently shook her shoulder. _

_"Carry me?"_

_"You know very well I can't get up the stairs to your dorm."_

_"Take me to your dorm then."_

_He stared down at her in disbelief. _

"_You're serious?"_

_"I refuse to get up."_

_Lily didn't need to open her eyes to know what hesitant look was playing behind his heavy black frames. _

"_Just leave me on the couch if you're gonna make such a big deal out of it," she told him, rolling over to get more comfortable. _

_James shook his head incredulously. Shrugging, he sweeped her up wedding style. Lily smirked against his chest. _

_Once he reached his dorm, he pulled back the covers with one hand, awkwardly balancing Lily against his knee, and lay her carefully on his bed. She yawned and wriggled into his blankets. Missing his warmth, she reached behind her and tapped the mattress insistently. James bit back a laugh and lay down against her._

"_You are the bossiest witch to ever walk the planet, Lily Evans," he informed her between kisses on her neck. _

"_Shhh… you're the one who said it was bedtime."_

_He chuckled, "Night Lils."_

"_Night Potter," she sighed as she snuggled into him, lifting the hand that had snaked around her waist to her mouth. _

James' eyes shot open, almost having fallen asleep while recalling the memory. His smile faded as lightning flashed outside. He had always been petrified of thunderstorms, ever since he was a little boy. Many a sleepless night had been suffered because of these weather conditions, and he was busy resigning himself to another night of tossing and turning in a constant state of semi-panic in the dark. With a sigh and a bitter look out the dripping window, he plucked off his glasses and switched off the lights with a flick of his light.

An hour later and James was a mess. Sweat was dripping down his face, his breathing becoming more rapid.

He clutched the sheets. His fists were pressed to his ears to try and block out the sound of the thunder. He kept his eyes tightly scrunched up so as not to see the blinding flashes.

An especially violent flash lit up the dormitory, and James suppressed a whimper of fear. He clamped his eyes shut tighter, and tried to keep his breathing long and even.

When the next bout of rumbling shook the tower, James, without making a conscious decision to do so, threw back the covers and bounded out of his bed.

He found himself standing next to the bed, clutching his wand in one hand, his other in a tight fist, his breath coming in short rasps.

He needed to get out. The dormitory was too exposed. Another flash illuminated the door, and he surged towards it like a magnet. 'Out, out, out, out, _out!_' he thought as he scurried towards the door in a blind panic.

"James?"

He froze in his tracks.

"James are you okay?" She got out of bed, heading towards him. "James?"

He couldn't look at her; he couldn't tear his eyes from the window. Lily reached out to caress his cheek, but he didn't seem to notice.

'Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

Lightning hit the tower, he was sure it did, and he couldn't help the whimper that escaped from his lips. He reached out and grabbed her forearm, his jaw clenching.

"Is it the lightning?" she asked, following the direction of his gaze. "It is, isn't it?"

He nodded, his eyes still trained on the window.

"It's okay. Come here. Come with me."

She took his hand off of her arm, and pulled him back to the bed. Once there, she thought fast - drawing the curtains closed, casting a muffliato - trying to hide them from the storm as best she could.

"Lumos," she breathed, and the sight before her broke her heart. There was James, looking like a scared child with those haunted hazel eyes. He was sat against the headboard, knees drawn up to his chest, hair even more dishevelled than usual and frightfully pale.

"Better?" She reached out and took his hand in hers.

"A little," he squeezed out, beginning to calm.

She drew him into her arms, making him lean against her shoulder and pulling the blankets back over them. She ran a hand through his raven hair; nothing relaxed him more.

"Everything's okay. The storm can't get to you in here, alright?"

He nodded against her chest, and she kissed his forehead. His breathing was beginning to slow, and some of the tenseness was seeping from his body.

"Everything's okay." She looked down at the boy who had come to mean so much to her and felt a tugging at her heart. "I really do love you, you know," she whispered to him in the faint light coming from her wand.

"I love you, too. Thank you."

"You should've told me."

"I've managed alright up to now."

"Yeah? What do you usually do?"

"Go to the kitchens. There aren't any windows in there. Or hide in a broom cupboard or something. I'm alright as long as I can't see or hear it. Problem is I get too worked up to think rationally and just shut the bloomin' curtain."

"That's what I'm here for, then."

"Sounds good to me," he murmured, inhaling her scent. He was feeling rather warm and tranquil now, as her fingers continued to comb through his hair. Only Lily could have such a calming effect on him.

"You can honestly just wake me up next time."

"Hmmm…" was his only response as his eyelids began to droop.

"Do you want me to leave the light on for a little bit?" she asked, a smile playing at the corner if her mouth.

He nodded again, as he drifted off into an unprecedentedly peaceful sleep.

Thunderstorms were never quite as bad as after that.


End file.
